The Cafe is
opened every lunch time from 12:30pm to 2pm Monday to
Friday and after school on Wednesdays from 3pm to 5pm,
as well as at weekends for organised events such as
band nights and discos.

The Foróige
Attic Youth Cafe was established in November 2006. The
idea for the cafe was brought about by the Temperance
Hall management committee who, after extensive renovation
work in the Hall, wanted to have a dedicated youth space
for the young people of Longford town and surrounding
areas. The room which is upstairs in the Hall was decorated
by the youth committee at that time. Weekends took on
a new meaning and teenagers were soon building their
weekends around events in the Attic. The cafe initially
opened every Saturday from 4 – 8pm however this
soon changed as demand increased.

In 2008 the youth
committee hosted a talent competition which came in
the form of Longford Youth Factor, or LY Factor as it
has become more commonly known, so that the young people
of Longford would have a safe place to socialise and
show off their talents, while raising money for the
café and other local charities along the way.
The LY Factor was held over a number of weeks and raised
a total of €8500, much of which was donated to
Special Olympics Ireland, St Vincent de Paul, and the
Aisling Children’s Festivals. The live finals
took place during January and February 2009 and the
scenes of young and old queuing to get in are still
talked about. LY Factor 2010 auditions have already
begun and the live finals begin in January 2010.

The success of
the LY factor led volunteers and the youth committee
to even greater success as they were entered into the
Permanent TSB Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards
2009. Full of pride and excitement they won the overall
award at a prestigious ceremony held in the Helix DCU
in October.

In the past year
the cafe received a full-time worker, a drug education
and prevention worker. Roisin is based in the Attic
but funded by the Midland Regional Drugs Task Force
and this initiative aims to prevent young people miss
using drugs and alcohol. As part of this initiative
there is a girls’ health & well-being group
on Wednesdays from 4.10-6.00pm, a drug awareness group
on Thursdays from 4.10-6.00pm and a drug education &
prevention programme on Thursday evenings from 6.30-8.00pm.

Top Left Image - “Tapestry
located behind the Altar in St Mel's Cathedral.”